'High School Musical' Star Graduates to Gritty Role in 'Gimme Shelter'

You'll spot James Earl Jones and Brendan Fraser easily enough, but may not recognize teenybopper Vanessa Hudgens as a homeless, pregnant street kid in search of hope

It’s not every day that cinema fans can enjoy their favorite actors in a movie-with-a-message – a film that has critics raving even before its release. But that’s what’s happening with “Gimme Shelter.”

“The star looks so stylish and spills on growing up — and taking on gritty roles,” proclaims Hollywood Life. “Vanessa Hudgens has come a long way from her High School Musical days — and she loves taking risks and reinventing herself! Up next, the 25-year-old can be seen on the big screen playing the role of a pregnant teen runway in ‘Gimme Shelter,’ and the star is also on the cover of Flare, where she discusses stepping into more mature roles.”

“Vanessa Hudgens looks Oscar worthy,” writes The Improper, which goes on to call “Gimme Shelter,” “a compelling true story about a teenager who flees her abusive mother, played by Rosario Dawson, tracks down her real father, played by Brendan Fraser, but ultimately finds love in an unusual place. Hudgens character, “Apple” is a feisty, head-strong young girl, who wants something more for herself than her drug-addicted, prostitute mother can provide.”